Sacrifices
by Not Tempest Bound
Summary: I won't start my story with "Long, long ago..." for I don't think it to be a legend. Nor will I start it with "Once upon a time..." for it certainly isn't a fairytale. Perhaps I shouldn't worry so much on how I start it, but on how I tell it. OCxWaka
1. Prologue

**Sacrifices**

I won't start my story with "Long, long ago..." because I don't think it's a legend. Nor will I start it with "Once upon a time..." for it certainly is not a fairytale. Maybe I shouldn't worry so much on how to start my story, but on how I tell it.

My story starts with my birth. When I was born, my father had been praying for a son, but I was born instead. My mother, a devout woman, had promised her first daughter to the nearby shrine.

No, I wasn't to be sacrificed. I would spend the rest of my years unspoiled, unmarried, and as a priestess.

For me, this meant never bearing a child, but to bear the sorrows of so many distressed people who came to the shrine. It meant never devoting my work to caring for a household, but to the gods. It meant instead of a life of laughter and of being a mother, I would get a life of sombreness and dedication.

Of course, I wasn`t happy with the decision. But what my father said was law, for he was the Emperor. He only wanted to be rid of me, I know that for certain. For I was a nuisance, because who wanted a wife who dreams of anything besides a loving husband and happy, healthy children?

They never welcomed me at the palace. It was either, "What if someone was to be at the shrine, looking for me, and I was not there?" or, "A priestess such as yourself should not be exposed to such things!" But their excuses were irrational, for no one sought me out, and what could be worse than seeing people weep at the feet of your peer, when you were all but 16? They didn`t love me, and they let it show.

I was miserable at the shrine. No one cared for my opinion. I was shunned by the others because of my bloodline and the fact that I had bad blood between me and my family. They envied me for the relatives I would give up for one person who truly cared about me. They thought that, since I had it all, why would I want to become a priestess, while some of them were given to our Master because their families could not care for them?

But, that life could not compare to what would happen next.

While I was out fetching water (for I was given the most strenuous of jobs) from the nearby well, I heard a rustle in the bushes nearby. Right then, after taking a peek over my shoulder, I wished that it were daytime, or that I had someone with me. Another rustle, this time closer. I called out, "Libou? Is that you? You know I don't like it when you sneak up on me." Libou was my best friend, the stray cat.

Suddenly, the bushes exploded with movement, crashing and twig-breaking loud. Hands pulled at my arms, letting the earthenware pot I was carrying fall to ground with a loud crash.

I stared at the pieces, dismayed, for I knew a beating would come from one of my peers for dropping their water vessel. Then there was a sudden pull at my wrists and my arms were bound with rope, and my mouth covered with a gag.

I pulled, struggling to get free, but my captor was strong. I let out a hoarse scream, muffled from the clothe gag, but he just shoved me and told me to shut up. I screamed again for help and I got a slap to the face in return.

Another piece of clothe was tied around my eyes, blinding me, catching a few strands of hair in the knot. He pulled the knot tight, so tight that I feared no one would be able to undo it, and I whimpered with pain from my hair being pulled.

He pushed me along, prodding me like cattle to make me move faster, until we came upon something I could barely make out through my blindfold to be a sort of wagon. A pair of hands pulled me up on my stomach, my legs hanging out, and I saw the chance to fight.

I kicked out with my legs, finding the chest of a man, and kicked with all my might. I heard a loud `oomph` and a heavy thud as the man collapsed to the ground, possibly winded. Another pull on me and then I was slapped so hard my ears rung.

"Looks like we got a fighter here." The man said, patting my throbbing head. He kicked my side.

"I think I knew that already." Was that the man I kicked? I felt hands push my legs up into the wagon.

A few more muttered conversations that I couldn't make out and I pushed up against another human. I heard faint sobs, like it was from behind a wall. A girl, then.

I yelled through my gag, remembering what a roommate had told us at the shrine, minus Master, of course. Earlier today, as I was leaving the kitchen, I heard someone, a girl, speak up.

"So, did you hear what today is?" she asked.

"No." A long-haired girl nudged the one who just spoke, jerking her head in my direction, and they burst out into laughter.

"Today is the anniversary of Orochi's death!" The first girl announced, once they stopped laughing. "But, it's not really a happy day, at least not for women."

"But isn't Mother Amaterasu a female deity?" another interrupted.

"Well, of course. It's just that there are stories of girls going missing. Then, one this day, every year, one of them is found at the Moon Cave, dead and sacrificed. Most think the girls are sacrificed by a cult that worships Orochi. So, these days, no girl is a loud to venture outside by herself." She paused. "So, who wants to fetch the water for tomorrow?" Everyone laughed at the "joke". I didn't laugh, because I well knew that she was half-serious.

"Why not let princess go? Who cares if she gets kidnapped? She could just call her family, if she needed help." And everyone voiced their agreements.

And so, I was sent out by my peers, possibly to my death or torture. Why death? Because I had the sneaking suspicion ...

That one of the girls was to be sacrificed.


	2. Chapter 1

Who, at 16, wants to be sacrificed in the name of some horrible monster? Certainly not me. But there was the chance that this was about to happen.

I smelt the pungent smell of the algae from a freshwater lake. The only freshwater lake that nearby to the shrine was... oh dear. The Moon Cave would glow with a faint blue sheen, so if I saw that—there it was. I was right, then. One of the girls would be sacrificed.

The wagon suddenly jerked, signalling a stop. I pulled at my bonds, trying to loosen them. But then I thought of something. What would happen to the girls that weren`t sacrificed, for they only needed one? A story my mother told me suddenly sprung up in my mind, of a girl who had been kidnapped, never to be seen again. That is, until they found her body, throat slit like some pig left to bleed dry, but she was years older than when she disappeared. People could only assume what happened to her all those years she was gone. And I knew what most thought.

Some said she was kidnapped to be sold into slavery, or maybe because she was pretty, but most believed her to have been taken to a whorehouse. But the people that said that always were countered with, "But who could _do_ such a thing?"

Suddenly, the wagon was opened, and a girl was pulled out. She started screaming and crying, but was quieted by a loud _slap._ She sounded no older than 13.

"Not her." A man said. I heard a dragging noise and a few whimpers. "What about this one?" He laughed when the girl cried out painfully.

"No." The authority in this one`s tone made me think he was the leader. But then I realized something. He was the man I kicked. "The fighter. It`ll be more fun that way."

Everyone laughed, and suddenly I was pulled out. I wouldn`t scream. I wouldn`t give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry. But then I was overwhelmed by a wave of terror at what would happen. What would they do? The tears welled up in my eyes, and one slipped out.

Someone grabbed the ropes holding me and started to drag me along. I began to struggle again, but I was being dragged, in the middle of the night, to my _doom_. What could have I done? My knees hit something solid. And again. Over and over again. Stairs. Then there was a stretch of open cobblestone, but it felt clammy and moist, as if we were in a place no one visited often.

Another set of stairs later, and I was pushed up against cool metal. They undid my bonds, but immediately they were did up again, except now, the metal dug into my arms, as if my arms were tied around a pole, or maybe a post or... a bell stand. A bell stand like the one that was said to be placed on top of Orochi's back and is still at the Moon Cave, to this day, even after he was defeated.

I screamed then. I screamed while they laughed, while they pulled off my blindfold, not minding when they pulled some hair. I cried while they sharpened a knife, while they jeered and leered towards me, making cut-throat motions.

This couldn`t be happening, this could not be happening. This is just a dream, and when I wake up, I`ll stay in bed for a few minutes, taking my time, and then I`ll warm some of the stew left over from dinner. The warmth will soothe me like my mother would have, if she`d been there at the shrine. Or maybe a good friend.

_Just close your eyes, Kazuna. You`ll wake up. Believe me._

So I did. I pressed my eyes closed, hard enough to force out tears trough my lashes, and opened them. But nothing had happened. Nothing.

"We'll make you have a wide smile, girl, if you know what I mean. Doesn't that sound nice?"

But, suddenly, there was a shout and loud crash, as if someone was pushed on top of pottery. More shouts, and I could hear punctuated slaps of skin hitting skin, like a fist coming in contact with a face or an arm. A black figure, one not dressed in black, but black because of the shadows, was fighting the men, kicking and knocking some unconscious with the hilt of a glowing blue sword, and with apparent ease.

Within minutes, my captors were lying on the ground, knocked out cold. The figure turned to me, but all I could make out of it was gleaming blues eyes. I could tell it was human, or at least _looked_ human, for it walked on two legs, and it was coming _straight at me!_

I screamed. Loudly, for so what if someone heard me? And I didn`t want to face someone who was stronger than the men I couldn`t even hurt, especially bound. The figure came closer, and for the first time, I noticed the dagger in his hands. The same one that the leader had almost slit my throat with.

Leaning close, the man, for I guessed him to be a _him_, placed the dagger dangerously close to my neck. I gulped, my eyes wide and wet. He seemed to notice this, so he put the dagger on the ropes binding me. With one swipe, I was free.

Immediately, I pressed myself closer to the cool metal, trying to get as much distance between him and me. The worst thoughts came to my mind. All the stories of men freeing deer into large areas, only to hunt them down with an arrow to the heart, came rushing in. _The thrill of the hunt_. Where have I heard that before? It reminded me of this situation, except I knew what was happening, what was _going_ to happen, and all the possibilities of _why. And I was the deer._

My eyes stretched wide, tears trailing freely down my face, my mouth open in a soundless scream, I got to my feet and swung around to the other side of the bell`s stand. The man looked at me, puzzled for some unknown reason, and reached towards my arms. I pulled away, dashing towards the entrance.

This one time, I found a note on my pillow, with my name written on it. Curious, I opened up the folded parchment, and found one sentence. For weeks after, I couldn`t help but wonder who had written it, for I didn`t recognize the handwriting. I had assured myself that it was a prank, a joke. But I still looked over my shoulder every time I was alone. The words of the note haunted me and rang in my head that night as I fled the cave under the cover of darkness.

_Don`t look back, because something might be gaining on you._

But I couldn`t resist the temptation of looking over my shoulder. When I did, I found him still at the bell, staring after me. Pain laced up my arms as I brushed away tears. Looking down, I found them bloodied and raw from the ropes. How could I have not noticed it before?

I tore out of the cave, wishing speed and distance from the man. I stumbled, and I got the feeling of someone watching me. I looked up from the ground, but found no one. I clambered to my feet, crying out with pain when my ankle and wrist pressed against the ground. I ran to nearby stand of trees, crying the whole way, and found a pond.

It was overgrown, like no one had been there in a long time. The water was clear as crystal, though. Memories came to me then, unbidden.

"_We`re going to the pond today, princess." said my handmaiden, pulling on my arm. "The Queen`s already in the carriage. We wouldn't want to keep her waiting, now would we?" _

_I shook my head and she smiled. "Good."_

_The trip to the pond was uneventful. When we finally got there, I begged my mother to let me swim in the clear water._

_She shook her head and said, "I took you here to tell you something." Being only six, I turned to her eagerly, not noticing the regretful tone she had._

"_What?"_

"_You don`t live with us anymore, Kazuna." _

_The smile I wore froze on my face. I couldn`t move, couldn`t blink, couldn't breathe. I just stared at her, my mother, the Queen, and I couldn`t think of anything to say. I took a deep breath. _

"_Mommy, I don`t understand...W-What do you mean?" I stammered in my six-year-old lisp._

"_Dear, what I mean is what I said. You are to live the rest of your life at the shrine here."_

_And that`s where I lived. I was taught to be patient, to love, to be helpful, I always thought that it was temporary, so when I asked to go home after a particularly rough beating from my "friends", I was genuinely surprised when my Master said, "This _is_ your home, Kazuna."_

"_No, Master. My home`s is where Mommy is."_

_He just ushered me out of him room, and into mine, where I was laughed at because I wanted to go home, but couldn`t. Ever since then, I associated ponds and clear water with tears and despair._

And this moment didn`t break that tie, but only strengthened it. I sobbed so hard that my body shook and I ended up heaving into the bushes. I washed my mouth in the pond, and then took notice of the raw skin on my wrists and ankles. They were caked with dirt, stinging and sore, and my kimono was ripped at the hem from my mad dash here, dirtied and destroyed. To distract myself from my memories, I began to wash up my feet, arms, face, and the cuts I received from the trees and knives.

As I was staring at a particularly deep gash, there was a rustle nearby. And when I looked up, I found myself face-to-face with the man behind the black shadow.

"My name`s Waka. I`d like to know why you ran away from your rescuer, _ma chèrie_."


	3. Chapter 2

I stared at my apparent saviour in silence. He raised an eyebrow, as if amused by my stunned face. "What's your name, ma chèrie?" I just looked at him, mouth agape, for a few seconds before his question sunk in.

"M-my n-ame?" I stammered, pushing back my long, dark hair.

He chuckled. "Yes, your name. Or do you not have one?"

"K-Kazuna, daughter of the Emperor." I felt embarrassed at how my formal introduction sounded. It made me sound like a stuck-up Princess. His eyes widened, which was the reaction I expected. I don't even look like my father, with my dark hair—brown instead of black—and pale eyes that were more green then brown. He had black eyes that always reminded me of pebbles.

"Well, if you're the Emperor's daughter, why are you here? Why were you even in the Moon Cave?" He thinks he's caught me. Claiming to be the child of the Emperor, and if you found to be lying, is a crime. Of the highest order.

"Have you heard of his daughter that he gave to the shrine near the palace?" When he nodded, I continued, "I am she, Kazuna, his first-born."

"Then why were you at the Moon Cave?"

I gulped. I looked up through my bangs at him and whispered, "Do you really want to know? It's a story most would rather not hear."

"Of course. Why wouldn't I, princess?" He's mocking me, I know for certain.

"Well," I started, wiping tears that threatened to appear, "When I was fetching the water for tomorrow—"

"Wait—you were drawing water? By yourself? At night, no less. Wasn't anyone there to help?"

When I shook my head, his eyes softened. I continued, "While I was fetching the water, like I said, someone came up from behind me and bound my wrists, gagged me and blindfolded me. He was one of the men you attacked." The smile on his face betrayed his pleasure.

"When he took me to a wagon—"Something popped up in my fogged up brain. "There was a wagon out front of the Moon Cave. It had girls ranging from the ages of twenty and maybe ten—what happened to it?" Please tell me that they were free, please, please...

Now, he looked genuinely dismayed. "I did not see a wagon. But I did hear what sounded like horses drawing a cart driving away from the Moon Shrine, of which I'm Master of. I doubt the men would leave the wagon unguarded. They probably left one behind so he could drive it to the next city. When the girl's were gone, they wouldn't have to worry if they were stopped." He shrugged, as if it meant nothing.

I, for one, started to cry at the thought of those poor girls. But, I couldn't help them now... Who knew where they were now? But maybe I could help...

He seemed to realize it at the same time as I did. "No. Do not try fixing something you can't even reach, ma chèrie."

"I guess... I still didn't finish my story, though." After a huge, shaky breath to avoid crying again, I said, "Anyways, when he took me to the wagon, someone inside the wagon pulled me in. My legs were still hanging out, so I kicked the guy who had bound me. He fell, and his friend that pulled me up slapped me, hard, and called me a 'fighter'. After pushing me up next to this girl, we set off.

"When we got there, I already suspected that one of us would be sacrificed. Anyways, they pulled out this young girl who started crying. They slapped her, too. They decided that I would make a better sacrifice than the two other girls they thought of before, since I had actually kicked the leader, so finally, they dragged me out. They took me to the bell and tied me up, and took off my blindfold. They were about to slit my throat when you came, so I thank you a thousand times over for coming when you did." When I noticed he was staring at me, I blushed and muttered, "I talk too much, don't I?"

He shook his head as if just coming out of his thoughts. "Huh?"

"Never mind."

He seemed to think about something before settling it in his mind. Then Waka smiled. He stood up and grabbed my arm to pull me up, too.

"Where are we going?" I asked, pulling my arm back. It was still sore. I rubbed it and he took notice of it.

"You're coming to the Tao Trooper base." He said, already walking away. I rushed after him, not wanting to be left alone with my thoughts. He laughed.

"The _what _base?"

"You'll see."

"Wow."

That's all I said when Waka took me to the 'base'. That's all I _could_ say.

The building wasn't even on the ground. It was floating, as if on a cloud. The only way we could get up was by a waterspout Waka created somehow, and as we ascended, I squeaked, for what else could I do when we were at least a hundred feet in the air? Supported only by water, no less.

"_This_ is the Tao Trooper base." Waka said grandly, arms wide open, walking about the marble floor. The ceiling was higher than in most buildings, even the palace. The columns holding it up had to be thicker than tree a trunk, that's for certain. I stared at the room for a couple seconds, dumbfounded, until I realized we weren't alone.

A boy, perhaps my age, came in, a mask over his face. He produced a scroll, which he gave to Waka, who read it, stern-faced all of a sudden. Waka nodded, said something to the boy, and walked by me, saying that he was needed elsewhere. I stared after him; I felt abandoned for at least the hundredth time in my life. I sighed.

"Can I help you with anything?"

I jumped and turned around to face the boy.

"N-no, not really. Do you happen to know when Waka will be back?" I asked hopefully.

"No, I'm sorry, miss. Master Waka told me to show you your room."

Following him, we came to a door, and when I walked in, I was floored. The room was definitely better than the one I had at the shrine! As I walked around the room, the boy began speaking again.

"Master Waka said you may wear what you like from the wardrobe in the room, and that I am to get someone to show you around the base." He smiled at me and added, "If you don't mind me deciding, miss, I'd like to be the one to show you around. I'm not sure you'd like a lady to show you around. They can get quite jealous."

"Jealous of what?" I asked absentmindedly. I was busy gaping at the clothes in the wardrobe.

"That Master Waka has found a lady-friend, such as you."

I whirled around, my cheeks flooding with color. "W-what? Where did you hear that there was anything between us besides friendship?" Why was every court-like society like this?

He smiled sheepishly, blushing and rubbing his neck. "A lady told me as I was coming in that Master Waka had come in with a young woman. She said that you would be nuisance here, stealing his attentions."

I shook my head and warned, "Don't believe every rumour you hear. It will ruin your reputation and cause rumours about _you_ to take life. Now if you'd excuse me, I'd like to get changed."

He rushed out of the room, apologizing profusely.

I pulled out the robe that caught my eye, the light turquoise and silver one, and muttered, "I guess I should get used to this. There's no escaping court life, especially when you're born into it, is there?"

I would soon realize how true that quiet phrase could be in the next few weeks, here at the base.


End file.
